Autumn is the best season to discover Aubrac in a different way: a landscape with warm and shimmering color palettes. The trees are adorned with their most beautiful golden robes and the leaves twirl in an incredible aerial ballet. It is also THE most terrifying season, when all sorts of fantastic creatures appear to haunt the stories and legends told around a wood fire. For Halloween and its mystical atmosphere, the Aubrac plateau has many surprises in store for you…
Halloween is also celebrated here: stories, candy hunts, treasure hunts, horror films, not forgetting the traditional costume ball, there is something for everyone! Ready to try the experience? Visit our calendar to find out about all the activities that will make you shiver! And for those who are more traditional: evening events, campfires and local legends, we have what you need too.
The Drac of Aubrac
Among the many imaginary creatures that haunt the popular mythology of the Aubrac plateau, the most famous and mischievous is undoubtedly the Drac. A familiar demon, often affiliated with the devil, shapeshifter, mocking and mischievous. His credo: mischief, pranks and buffoonery, enough to make the inhabitants "go crazy"! A legend tells that Norbert, returning on horseback from a fair in Aubrac, would have heard deafening noises, like a giant anvil at the place of an old foundry, where the blacksmiths once worked. It was the Drac in the process of reviving a forgotten past to frighten this poor rider. A little further on, a new scene presented itself to the victim: noises of dogs, gallops, the sound of horns and cries, it was none other than the flying hunt of one of the greatest hunters of Aubrac. This poor Norbert lived a very tumultuous road haunted by memories of frightening scenes. No other creature than the Drac could have these powers. According to the oldest, it still roams the territory, disturbing the sleep of the peasants, calling with a flute-like voice Pilgrim in the fog and luring him away from his path. Many have heard him but no one has seen him. It is whispered in the countryside that he is as elusive as a current of air…
A mysterious atmosphere
In autumn, the Aubrac plateau adorns itself with its most beautiful colors, the mist envelops the landscape which becomes more and more mysterious. Remarkable landscapes, a unique atmosphere, why not go for a walk to discover the plateau? An autumnal escapade in a wild landscape which will certainly end with a comforting aligot-sausage, warm in one of the many restaurants of the board.
The Thieves' Fountain
A legend that has been passed down discreetly from generation to generation tells of an incredible treasure hidden in the Aubrac wood : the Fountain of Thieves. Of inestimable value, it is said to be the result of several thefts perpetrated against wealthy merchants and courageous pilgrims on the Devez Road. A trade route teeming with brigands. Robbed of their most precious goods, the pilgrims and merchants resumed their journey, while the bandits hid the loot in this famous wood, under a slab with a ring. According to some stories, some inhabitants have seen the ring, others are in possession of plans. But to this day no one has found the location of the treasure, the mystery remains. Perhaps you will have more luck by going in search of this coveted loot?
The Pilgrims' Cross
A Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac, go to the village to discover its heritage closely linked to the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela : old half-timbered houses, a unique church, not forgetting its famous pilgrims' bridge. On this monument you can see a pretty stone cross which bears, on its bas-relief, the representation of a pilgrim with his cape, his staff and a rosary. It was supposedly built to protect pilgrims from all the problems encountered on their way. What to protect them from: bandits perhaps?
The thief of Alpuech
On the Aubrac plateau, this other thief has left his mark on local history, a great bandit for some, a thief with a big heart for others. Some rightly compare him to Robin Hood. Jean-Pierre Bouyssou, born in 1763, nicknamed "the thief of Alpuech" was mainly active in the "golden triangle", a small triangle in the heights of the current North Aveyron. His driving principle? Stealing from the bourgeoisie and to the rich merchants returning from fairs to redistribute to the poorest. Always acting armed with rifles, pistols or simple hooded (ancestors of the Laguiole knife), he disturbed the peace of the villages and the trade routes. A loner, you might say? However, he had many notables and police officers from the region as accomplices. Sentenced to death several times, he was reportedly recognized and knocked unconscious by the waitress at the La Terrisse café, before being handed over to the courts for a reward. Today, it is still said that one can see his shadow to roam the mountains when the wind comes from the north…
Nearby, another mysterious place
En Argence, join FalachouxThe path will lead you to a clearing where in its center there is a basalt table. Nobody really knows what this is for. megalithic monument, but in Vitrac-en-Viadène, everyone knows it! Legend has it that this pierced basalt table, placed on its column, is, in reality, a Roman sacrificial altar dedicated to the God Jupiter.
The mystical stone of Bes-Bédène
There is another stone that remains, even today, a real mystery. Called " shaking stone " or "rocking stone", this "granite keel" is like balanced. A precarious stability that spans the centuries. Work of nature inherited from theice Age, it is however often described as a dolmen, as if we saw it as a work created from scratch by the hands of Man. Around this balancing rock, we often attribute energetic virtues in an atmosphere filled with legend and mystery.
Discovering the heritage of Bes-Bédène
The landscape around the trembling stone is fascinating! You will find the small picturesque village of Bes-Bédène, perched on its rocky spur and set in the middle of a granite cirque. Stroll through the village, you will discover its church, its very particular history, as well as a little further, its so-called "Roman" bridge which was nevertheless built in 1329! A most authentic discovery.
The Fualdès affair
There is a story that still causes a stir in the chronicles, that of Antoine Bernardin Fualdès. At the time a lawyer, he is said to have lived in Mur-de-Barrez in a building with a superb balcony of cut stone. This notable of Rodez, who became prosecutor of King Louis XVIII at the criminal court, was found savagely murdered in the waters of Aveyron, on the night of March 19 to 20, 1817. This sordid murder, certainly perpetrated in a house of ill repute, called Maison Bancal, will become one of the first great legal sagas in France and Europe. The people, the artists, the written press do not let go of the Fualdès affair and his trials. Plots, conspiracies, opinions fuel "the soap opera". The final word on the question who killed Antoine Bernardin Fualdès? No one will probably ever know. The work of many historians of yesterday and today offers you the opportunity to continue the investigation of the most famous criminal case of the 19th century.
Discover the Fualdès house
The facade of the house, recognizable by its small iconic balcony is still visible today from the Grand'Rue of Mur-de-Barrez. Stroll the streets to discover the history of the remarkable buildings of this small village in northern Aveyron. To continue to scare each other in the old streets of the village, a playful circuit is available on the Baludik application: a real full size cluedo. Investigate and discover who is responsible for the attempted murder of the future count during the summer party!
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